2.0
Quality4.0
Difficulty25%
Would Retake104
Reviews25%
Would Retake
104
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
7
4
11
3
12
2
36
1
38
What Students Say
“I strongly recommend avoiding this professor if you can”
1510014157 - 1.0 rating“If you can, avoid him”
3150151 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
3%
Textbook Required
78%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.65 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM12
5.0
(1)CHEM300
5.0
(1)CHEM3150101
4.7
(3)3150151004
4.0
(1)CHEMFOREVERY
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
1510014157
5.0
3150151004
5.0
CHEMISTRY
5.0
BIOCHEMIISUMM
5.0
CHEMISTRYI
5.0
Reviews (104)
No Comments
not too tough, boring as all he-l
Very EASY TEACHER...Posts all notes on WebCT...never went to class...got an A both semesters...Chem 151,153
Took during summer-spent 5 weeks of my life doing nothing but memorizing metabolic pathways--yay! Talks VERY fast--incredibly difficult to take good notes. SO BORING!! He seems like he's very depressed--no humor--very monotone. HARD tests-have to know pathways frontwards, backwards & upside down.
the notes off webct were very hard to follow, and he didn't always follow them. he talks in circles and doesn't do well explaining what he's tryin to say. maybe he'd be better in higher level classes but not for principles
HATED THAT CLASS!! DROPPED IT!
wow................bad
Totally lame. This guy drove me to not come to his classes anymore. Guess what, when I stopped attending, my grades improved. His style makes it tougher than it is. Take Donovan instead.
He has pretty much everything in his notes and reads most of it during class. He adds things, but you can get that from someone later. Definately hard to pay attention during the whole class time because of the way he lectures. Write as much as you know
I hated the class. He didn't explain things so that we could understand them, and we didn't learn some of the stuff on the tests. I would recomend another teacher!!!
HATE HIM HATE HIM HATE HIM HATE HIM
he was absolutely the worst teacher. he was horrible. save yourself time and do not take kim calvo
I thought Dr. Calvo did a nice job with Chemistry for Everyone. He knew the subject was boring to a bunch of kids who didn't want to be there, but tried his hardest to keep it interesting. If you show up and take the quizzes you will get a good grade.
For Chemistry for Eveyone Dr. Calvo was still boring but he did his best to make the lectures short and to the point. If you looked over your notes it was a very easy class to get a good grade in. I would recommend taking chemistry for everyone from him.
I thought Dr. Calvo was a wonderful teacher. He was extremely helpful and obviously interested in the subject. I have nothing but respect for him.
I took Chem for science majors. I failed the class with another teacher and got a B when I retook it with Calvo. Calvo is a good guy, very goofy, really likes what he does. Tests can be hard but then again... its chemistry.
Love him!
I thought Dr. Calvo was an excellent teacher. It's chemistry, so you will have to study, but if you go to class and do the homework, you should have no problem. His tests were fair (they could have been much harder), and his lectures were decent.
He was ok. Chem is not my favorite subject but it wasn't horrible. He is a good teacher but it is still chem. You have to study and go to class.
He's the kind of teacher that knows his stuff but can't teach it very well to the class. He never goes over the labs before we do them, so we go into them without knowing anything. He also lectures on things not related to the class more than things that we do need to know. DON'T TAKE HIM!
Not very good at explaining the information. I had to go to a tutor every week just to pass the class. Hard to follow lectures. Long homework assignments and killer tests. If you don't have to take him, Don't!!
SUCKS
I was a straight A chem student until I took his class now im struggling to get a D. Ya thats gotta tell you something. I attend class every day and go to tutoring and it does nothing. He cannot teach at all. He is smart and knows his facts but cannot teach. I recommend staying out of his class and finding another teacher.
the only possible way to pass this class is to teach it to yourself. go to the review sessions, a pray that's enough
Not a bad teacher overall. If you are stuck on something, just go ask him and he will help. His tests aren't easy, but they are passable. the only complaint is that his notes were different than the ones on the internet, so you would have to print them off like 3 times. nice guy.
Overall, there really wasn't much that he could do to make the class interesting. It was a huge lecture and he had to read off of a powerpoint. It's chemistry so it was a really hard class. All I did was read the book and try to pay attention in class, and tried hard. I ended up fine. He curves the final and he starts giving extra points at the end
I actually enjoy his lectures. He goes over everything youneed to know in class. The homework is pretty easy and the tests arent that bad either.
I love Dr. Calvo! His tests are hard but gives plenty of bonus opportunities (in class and aris quizzes and attendance) He explains everything well in class. i never even read the book except to do a couple practice problems. posts practice tests. go to class every day to get xtra points for attendance! chem is boring but he tries to make fun
He is kind of hard but the best why to study for his class is to read the book. The lectures are very boring. His test are hard and he is all ways trying to trick you. But at the end of the year he gives out bouns.
VERY BAD! the lecture is terrible. all he does is read from the 30 pages of slides on the powerpoint. the tests are impossible and he doesnt always curve. he curved one test so the average was a 57%..i dont recommend him for anyone cause i had to drop due to the difficulty
Very tough tests but he gives practice tests. Don't expect Biochem to be easy.
Summer Session 1 Biochem I.This class was difficult but this professor knows how to teach. He tells you what he will test on and keeps to his word. I worked hard and got an A. Much better than Beres.
Not the greatest teacher out there. Tests are very hard. Do the practice problems, they help a lot! Slightly boring lectures, read the book for more info. Try to get someone a little more enthusiastic and who explains more thoroughly!
He is a knowledgable professor, and knows his chemistry, just not how to teach it.
homework is sooo hard. tests are difficult but homewrok is next to impossible ahh.
principles: does not explain the subject well, his powerpoints are not helpful. just read the book
Avoid Kim Calvo at all costs. He doesn't teach well and he puts questions on the test that are neither covered in class or the book.
Calvo is the worst and least helpful teacher I've had at Akron. He explains things poorly and is boring. I asked him a simple yes or no question after class one day, and he said that he needed to get back to research but I could come by at office hours. This guy is terribad.
Take someone else if you can. His lectures don't help and he gives out mostly bad grades, doesn't curve much.
He sucks. Worst teacher at the school.
I don't think Dr. Calvo is evil, but he makes life difficult. I'm a straight A student, and I had to work my ass off to get a C in this class. I don't think anyone in the class has a higher grade either.
The class averages on the 4 semester tests were D- and below after the "curves". He had to knock off at least 7 questions from each test because that was the highest grade anyone got. He also thought it would be a good idea to teach us a full chapter two classes before exams and give us an exam the classperiod before exams. Stay away!
Better do everything else and pray for at least a D on the test to pass
calvo doesn't teach you anything i honestly think he just makes it up as he goes along, trys to be funny but really isn't get help from someone else if you need it or drop the class and get a different teacher
he is not a good teacher but does give a few bonus quizzes that can help your grade
Good teacher and he gives bonus quiz that helps you grade and he also give you bonus for the learn smart on connect. Work hard and you will be fine
This professor is not able to successfully teach to a large number of college students
Does not teach things so that you can understand concepts. He reads from the slides, and his slides are worthless.Does not cover a fraction of the information that is on the tests. Very lazy and has no enthusiasm to teach, could care less if the entire class fails everything. He belongs in a retirement home...
Class lecture is read from a powerpoint that is available online, so the lecture itself provides not extra value. However, attendance is mandatory via the godforsaken clickers. Tests are not relevant to class notes. Final is an ACS comprehensive test.
Bad teacher, does't explain things very well. Just reads his slides (which arent good) when he solves equations on the board he writes all over the place so its hard to follow where he's going. His tests were hard and he seemed like he didn't care about the students. He knows his chemistry, but doesn't know how to communicate his knowledge well.
Dr. Calvo is easily one of the worst teachers I have had. Terrible at giving explanations, incoherent lectures, and difficult tests basically sums up the class. Very intelligent but simply not a good teacher.
Really difficult class. I felt like he could have explained concepts a lot better. I had to teach myself from the textbook because a lot of stuff he said didn't make sense. He knows the subject well, just doesn't know how to explain it. Tests are hard. He does offer bonus on quizzes and learn smart.
Before taking him I had a pretty solid understanding of chemistry. As soon as I saw how vague his notes were compared to the book, I ended up reading every night. I'm no slacker, the man just isn't teaching his students right, simple as that. Difficult to make appointment with & snarky remarks to in class Qs. Does have slight curve. Ended with a C+
He doesn't explain any as well as the other professors. He cracks jokes in class but shows no interest in students. Never emails back.
He looks like a turtle. That being said, he may be a decent professor but lost my interest early on.
Dr. Calvo is awesome. This class is hard and you'll have to work to get a good grade, but he does offer extra credit and has curved almost all of our exams. If you want an easy A, this isn't the class for you. But Calvo is hilarious and knows his information.
Dr. Calvo is a very arrogant and unhelpful instructor. He likes to brag about his experience at Harvard. He is never available for help, and makes tests very confusing and difficult. Final is an ACS standard test I'm which much of the material on it wasn't covered in class and then he doesn't curve most tests including the final!
the worst professor ever. He stands in front reads from slides, rolls his eyes after someone asks him a question have to read book to teach yourself or use youtube. He gives connect and you have 3 attempts at each problem. He doesn't curve exams but the second exam the class average was <50% so we got a curve, stay away!!!
Siting through his class is pointless. If it weren't for the points for attendance I would have spent more time studying on my own than sitting through a distracted and monotone lecture. Often talks about himself.
Calvo is very smart and knows the information well. He just does not know how to convey the information back to his students in a way that we understand. He curves every test and gives so many extra credit points. If you have him, read and watch YouTube. You will do fine.
Calvo is not a good teacher at all. He offers tons of bonus though so if you are a good self teacher you'll do fine. I recall one exam where the average was around 50%. I think I got around a B+ but when he curved it i ended up with 120%! READ THE BOOK
Though he must get credit for teaching such a base course, I don't believe he could do it much worse. Yikes.
He is a very smart man, but cannot teach very well. Unless you have superhuman powers to stay awake, do not take him. I have to eat literally the entire class time in order to stay awake. I've never had a more boring professor.
He likes chemistry and talks but doesnt teach
Lectures are not helpful. You basically have to teach yourself the material straight out of the book. He complicates the simplest concepts by going into too much detail that is not necessary at this level.
If you can, avoid him. He looks like a turtle and makes topics much more complicated than needed. He is very intelligent, but cannot teach.
Calvo talks very quietly and pretty much just reads off his PowerPoints. If you do the Connect homework and read through the book, you should be able to do decently. Try to get a different prof if you can.
He does not know how to convey basic material easily. He is very smart, but he is very difficult to follow. I work very hard in my classes, but he frustrated me to no end. He is not clear about grades, but he does give extra credit which is extremely helpful. If you can learn completely by reading a book, you will be fine.
He is very smart and basically too smart to be teaching such a basic course. He gave some homework which helped my grade. He did curve his exams, but the exams were extremely hard. He is confusing and hard to follow during lectures. I would not recommend take anyone else but him if you want a good grade.
His handwriting is hard to read most of the time, talks quietly, is unable to answer question on practice exams, but seems like a nice guy. Overall, as a person 9/10, as a professor 3/10.
Professor Calvo's lectures are long and boring. Each time he does a practice problem he gets it wrong and confuses the class even more. His writing is hard to read and he talks very quiet. I strongly recommend avoiding this professor if you can!!
Going to the lectures don't help at all. He writes the notes straight from his powerpoint which is posted on Springboard. When he lectures, he talks a lot and writes things down using the overhead projector. His handwriting is very illegible.
Do not take Calvo. I go to every lecture and study. His lectures don't really help I've been using the book. Tests are very hard and he hasn't curved an exams yet. Last exam average was 68% and he did not curve. He will answer questions but gets snappy. Do not take this professor
Taking Calvo's class is pointless. Definitely try to schedule with Donovan. I am an engineering student. I go to every lecture and study, and most of my fellow engineering students and I that are not ChemE's score below 55% on every test. His lectures are very boring and like others have said, his writing is illegible and he speaks very quiet.
messy handwriting and lectures are a difficult to follow. You will have to read the book and practice a lot on your own to do good. His lectures are iffy but he does give a good exam review before each test online so use that and read the book and you'll be fine.
Its better off if you don't go to class, and you get tutoring instead. He posts all of the notes on springboard, then in class just reads those notes, and does few example problems on an overhead projector. maybe the examples would be helpful if you could read his handwriting, but it is awful. Would not recommend to any friend or anyone at all.
He is very confusing in lecture. Often. Times dose NOT get his own problems right. Online homework is either really easy or really hard. And all exams are multiple choice but extremely hard and worded in a way that is very hard to understand.
Great person. terrible professor
His hand writing is awful. He posts powerpoint's onto springboard but then insists on writing out the notes for you. He is a reasonable person and if your scan tron messes up he will give the points back to you even if they were wrong.
His lectures are pointless. You can't read anything he writes, his examples are the simplest possible problems, but when he decides to do more complex problems he stumbles through them and leaves the class more confused than when he started, there were multiple times where he got them wrong. Lectures are very__VERY__boring. DO NOT TAKE!no char left
An elderly man and boring lecturer, Calvo is just another class. His tests go along pretty well with the book and what he prepares you for. He is knowledgeable enough, just very monotone and hard to stay awake to. I personally liked him quite a bit because of his humorous quarks. Tests are challenging but not impossible.
He knows too much information about the subject to be able to teach a basic chemistry class. He will throw a lot of information at you then tell you that you don't need it. He writes down his notes on a big projector and his hand writing is not readable. going to class or paying attention will not help one bit. the tutors will help more than him.
Tests are very hard. He gives a lot of examples in class, but they aren't nearly as hard as the test questions. His hand writing is not legible and his lectures are hard to follow sometimes.
His tests are all confusing multiple choice questions and there are always 3 or more test questions that have errors and have to be removed. This makes the tests very difficult to reflect what you actually know. Despite attending all classes, doing all homework, and studying thoroughly, I never gained confidence that I could do well on his tests.
He is a pretty poor teacher. He is vary intelligent but just listening to him lecture alone wont help you pass the class. you really need to read the book to understand the material. He doesn't explain things to allow you to understand the material. he does allow a single note card for exams so theirs that but i recommend taking anybody over him
Hard to hear I had to sit in the front row. He went over everything you needed to know. Read the book too that will help even more. Also do the practice tests
Calvo means well. He is a very nice guy but just isnt a good teacher. He is almost too smart to teach this basic class
I honestly liked him. I suck at chemistry (it just isn't my thing), but the homework and the practice tests helped me understand and I did well on the tests (I got a 100% on one of the exams). He gives extra credit & drops questions of the exams. Basically if the highest grade was a 28/32 then he makes the exam only out of 28 questions. Take him!
I was in a lecture of 300+ students in the fall of 2015, so you definitely don't get the individualized learning aspect some need. He's a very intelligent man, but doesn't quite know how to teach properly. He is definitely there to help, though! If you set up a study group with friends, he will attempt to attend it just to help!
Heard a lot of bad things about Calvo in the fall, I was scared to take him in the Spring. He honestly is not a bad teacher. His notes are pretty messy, but if you took a chem class back in high school you'll do fine, and he posts his notes online. If you go to him for help, you will learn what to do, and 1 on 1 he is really nice. H.W boosts grade
Very boring. Not very helpful when you ask for more examples. Only way I got an A- was because I took honors chemistry in high school and had some background knowledge.
Do not take Dr. Calvo's courses. He is the poorest lecturer I have ever experienced throughout my college career. Dr. Calvo is unclear, uncaring, and unenthusiastic. His exams do not accurately portray class notes, homework, or textbook material. Just wait to take another professor.
Worst professor I have ever had. He has awful to be honest with you. Cavo is very smart and a good person but an awful professor. First of all he has the worst handwriting I have ever seen in a professor and his notes are very hard to read. His online powerpoints don't go along with the lecture he gives and his class is not very organized.
I can't really explain how bad of a professor he is...
Taught as if you already know a lot about chemistry. So if you don't, I would suggest looking at a different professor.
Worst teacher ever! His exams are nothing like the prep stuff he hands out. I knew a lot about chemistry, but I was absolutely lost. Do not take his class if you can help it.
He just stands up and talks. That's it, he just talks about the material and is extremely hard to understand what he is trying to teach sometimes.
Honestly I don't think I have had a worse teacher ever. He lectures, then gives us a single homework and says good luck. He doesn't really teach what is on the tests
Go to class. Don't miss class. Just dont. His lectures may be a bit boring but they are interesting sometimes. I hate chemistry and this is one of the best professors I have ever had. He explains things very well and the tests are based on the study guides he posts online. He curves the second and third exam. Not the first. Drops the lowest of 3.
I would never take his class again. The only reason I passed was due to taking Honors Chem in high school with an amazing teacher. I certainly can say that he's smart in a sense, but to the point where he no longer has a grasp of the basics. Every example problem he did had errors in balancing. He also reads directly off the slides.
The most boring professor I have ever had. I couldn't do his lectures, just couldn't. I would either fall asleep or leave. Better off to stay home and study from the book. Drops the lowest exam grade, do the homework. Extra Credit opportunities.
He knows his stuff but he is not a good teacher. Just read off the slides in class so there was no reason to go to class because they were also posted online. Didn't really allow students to ask questions and if someone did, just restated what he said before. Did not explain concepts well.
I am not sure why he is constantly being rated so poorly. His class was not that bad at all! As with any class, you should attend. While the lectures can be boring, he has key information (test answers) in his notes. He always had review questions that were very similar to the tests. If you take the time to learn, you will be fine!
The greatest professor I had at akron, and an incredible department chair at that. A true legend, a true master. Referred to by many as Master Oogway certainly due to the striking physical resemblance combined with his prowess of the chemical arts. Those who don't revere his contribution to the school didn't know him and didn't care to do so.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
3%
Textbook Required
78%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.65 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM12
5.0
(1)CHEM300
5.0
(1)CHEM3150101
4.7
(3)3150151004
4.0
(1)CHEMFOREVERY
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
1510014157
5.0
3150151004
5.0
CHEMISTRY
5.0
BIOCHEMIISUMM
5.0
CHEMISTRYI
5.0